Red's
Review of Red's Steakhouse at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa
About.com Rating 
Red's Steakhouse - What I Liked
- Upscale dining on the west side of town
- Side dishes and dessert
- Appropriate for a special occasion or business conference dinner
Red's Steakhouse - Be Aware
- Web site is out of date; menu items listed don't match offerings
- Beef not prepared correctly
- Music turned off at 8 p.m. when bar entertainment began
- Expensive
- Not recommended for children
 Appetizers at Red's Steakhouse © Judy Hedding |
Red's Steakhouse - The Mood
With music from decades gone by playing in the background, Red's is
styled as one might expect for an upscale steakhouse. It is designed
in dark reds and browns, with a rustic western decor matching the
entire Wigwam Resort's environment. The only noticeable artwork in the
restaurant is a large, painting of four people, one of which was
apparently Red, the restaurant's namesake and the first golf pro at
The Wigwam, who is memorialized just about everywhere at this resort.
Red's Steakhouse - The Damages
Steaks at Red's Steakhouse range from about $30 to $50. Seafood and
poultry entrees range from about $20 to $35. Sides are $9 and are
designed to be shared. Appetizers range from $9 to $16, and salads and
desserts from $8 to $10. That means that, especially if you came for
steak, you can expect your tab for a three course meal to be in the
neighborhood of $100 per person with tax and tip, but not including
beverages or wine.
 Cedar River Filet at Red's Steakhouse © Judy Hedding |
My Review of Red's Steakhouse
Our dinner at Red's Steakhouse began nicely, with a Crab Cake appetizer that, although on the cool side, was created with shredded crab and little filler. We were convinced by a staff member to try Red's Deep Fried Pickles (even though we told her we weren't pickle lovers), and they were crunchy and tangy, but not memorable. The Red's House Salad with spinach, cranberries walnuts and goat cheese with a bacon dressing was excellent!
The two sides we tried, Asparagus in Lemon Butter Sauce and Potatoes Au Gratin, are both recommended. The asparagus was tender but not mushy, and the potatoes were cheesy but not gooey. Well done! The main attraction, our beef entrees (what else would we order in a steakhouse!), left us scratching our heads a bit. Both our filets were overdone by one step -- my medium filet was closer to medium well (slightly pink) and my companion's medium well Cedar River Filet was unquestionably well done, probably because he selected the option to have it butterflied. My biggest disappointment, however, was that my filet came smothered in blueberry sauce. Nowhere on the menu is there a hint of any sauce on the Surf & Turf entree, nor did our server warn me that my beef would come covered with a sweet sauce. I would not have ordered it.
 Surf & Turf with Asparagus at Red's Steakhouse © Judy Hedding |
The two shrimp were large, not that flavorful, and the crab stuffing seemed the same as the stuff from the crab cakes, which was fine since I liked that very much. My companion's main course came with a side item on the plate. The menu doesn't indicate what it is, but after taking a bite I would guess that it was whole garlic in puff pastry, but I couldn't chew through it so I am not certain.
Dessert brought smiles back to our faces. Even though I had my heart set on the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Brownie I read about on the web site, it was no longer offered. There was only one chocolate dessert, a Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, so we ordered it. We were also encouraged to have the Crème Brulee. While we were very happy with both of them, I agree with our server that the Crème Brulee (definitely large enough to share) was the star of the dessert show.
Red's Steakhouse is acclaimed as one of the finest restaurants in the Valley of the Sun. I am hoping that the issues we experienced are simple items to be ironed out by a new management that took over the resort just prior to my visit. While our experience wasn't perfect, I still recommend it for upscale, stylish cuisine, especially for West Valley residents who don't want to travel into Phoenix or Scottsdale for a special occasion meal.
Where to Find Red's Steakhouse:
Visit Red's Steakhouse online.
Submit Your Own Mini-Review of
Red's Steakhouse.
Date of review: June 2009.
All dates, times, prices and offerings are subject to change without notice.
As is common in the industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary meal for the purpose of the review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
